Hyderabad: Many challenges in turning old autos into EVs

Hyderabad: Even as the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) has asked the Transport department to identify and change old autos into electric compliance, there are many challenges in the way of bringing the change with over 5 lakh autos, including 3.5 lakh in the State capital alone.

In an attempt to phase out old vehicles to reduce pollution levels, the government is contemplating to encourage vehicle owners to shift to EV mobility. The TSREDCO has urged the Transport department to encourage autos, particularly the older ones, so that pollution levels can be controlled.

This was as part of the Telangana Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2020-30, which builds upon Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) II scheme being implemented since April 2019, by the Department of Heavy Industries to develop a complete ecosystem locally around EVs, including manufacturing of batteries and other components. The government proposes to provide a subsidy of Rs 15,000; the remaining would have to be borne by the vehicle owner. However, the transport unions say that there would be many challenges in the conversion of electric vehicle compliance. The Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union general secretary M Dayanand said it would be a difficult task for auto drivers because charges alone will be very high. When autos are changed from petrol to CNG/LPG, they had to shell out Rs 60,000 each. Now if the government forces them it would cost around Rs 1 lakh. The subsidy of Rs 15,000 is not at all sufficient, said Dayanand.

According to an estimate, there are over 5 lakh autos in the State, including 3.5 lakh in the city. The government should hold workshops with auto companies and workers to make them aware of the new changes, besides providing adequate charging points, he suggested.The State government had an nounced incentives to vehicle owners to go for electric vehicles by providing 100 per cent road tax exemption for first 20,000 electric three-wheelers and 10,000 electric goods carriers, including three-wheelers. The union leaders said the conversion itself is a cumbersome process, as it requires permissions. Hence, the government needs to provide entire infrastructure before implementing the new rule.